The Birds of Australia, Vol. 1 of 7

Genus Rhipidura, Vig. & Horsf.

Many species of this genus occur in India, the Indian Islands, New Guinea, and Polynesia; and five or six are comprised in the fauna of Australia, over every part of which country, including Van Diemen’s Land, one or other member of the group is found to exist.

Inhabits the north coast. I have not figured this species because it only differs from R. rufifrons in being of a smaller size, and in the red colouring at the base of the tail-feathers being more extensive.

Not figured, being similar in colour but much smaller than R. Motacilloïdes; it inhabits Port Essington.

Genus Seïsura, Vig. & Horsf.

The present genus and Rhipidura are mere modifications of each other; a difference of structure, however, exists of sufficient importance to justify their separation, and, as is always the case, a corresponding difference is found in the habits of the species.

The present form is restricted to Australia.

• Turdus muscicola, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. v. p. 123.
• —— dubius, Lath.

Genus Piezorhynchus, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill longer than the head; deeper than broad, almost cylindrical; compressed on the sides, notched at the tip; nostrils basal, small and round; wings short; first primary moderate, the fourth the longest; tail rather short and round; tarsi moderately long and somewhat feeble; the inner and middle toes connected as far as the first joint, the outer one the longest.

The only species of this genus yet discovered is a native of the northern parts of Australia, from Cape York to Port Essington, where it frequents the dense beds of Mangroves.

Genus Myiägra, Vig. & Horsf.

A group of insectivorous birds, the greater number of which inhabit the Indian Islands and Polynesia, and of which four species are found in Australia.

Generic characters.

Bill shorter than the head, depressed, broad at the base; gonys straight; curving downwards and slightly notched at the tip; nostrils round, placed at the base of the bill, which is beset with strong bristles; wings lengthened and powerful, first primary short, the third the longest; tail rather short and nearly square; tarsi moderate and feeble; toes feeble, the external toe much longer than the internal one.

Three species of this genus inhabit Australia, to which country they are confined.

• Sylvia leucophœa, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. vii. p. 139.

• Micrœca assimilis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 172.

All the upper surface brown, primaries dark brown; tail brownish black; the tips and the terminal half of the external margins of the two outer feathers white; the three next on each side also tipped with white, the extent of the white becoming less upon each feather as they approach the centre of the tail; the four middle feathers without the white tip; throat, centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts white, passing into pale brown on the sides of the chest and flanks; irides reddish brown; bill and feet blackish brown.

Total length, 4⅝ inches; bill, 9
16; wings, 3⅜; tail, 2⅛; tarsi, 9
16.

Inhabits Western Australia; and is so nearly allied to the Micrœca macroptera, from which it only differs in being much less in size and in having the base of the outer tail-feather brown, that I have not considered it necessary to figure it.

Genus Monarcha, Vig. & Horsf.

Several species of this genus occur in the Indian Islands and two in Australia. They are insectivorous birds, and procure their food by quietly hopping about among the branches of the trees.

Genus Gerygone, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill shorter than the head, swollen, notched at the tip; commissure straight; nostrils basal, lateral, oval; rictus beset with two or three extremely fine and weak bristles; wings moderately long, first quill almost spurious, second long, third, fourth and fifth equal and longest; tail rather short and square; tarsi entire, slender, moderately long; toes extremely short and small, the lateral toes even, and united to the middle one nearly to the first joint; claws much curved.

The term Psilopus was originally proposed by me for this genus, but that name having been previously employed, Gerygone was substituted for it.

A group inhabiting every part of Australia, and probably New Guinea and Polynesia. Their chief food consists of insects of the most diminutive size, such as aphides, gnats and mosquitos. The more thickly-billed species may probably feed upon larger insects and their larvæ. They mostly frequent the thick umbrageous woods, where they dart about for insects under the canopy of the dense foliage, or sally forth into the open glade like true Flycatchers. Their nests are of a domed form, with the entrance near the top, some species protecting the opening by constructing a projection above it like the eaves of a house; the eggs are generally four in number, and spotted with red like those of the Maluri and Pari.

• Psilopus olivaceus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 147, Young.

Genus Smicrornis, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill very small and short, swollen at the sides; nostrils basal, oblong and protected by an operculum; at the base of the bill a few fine hairs; wings moderately long, first quill very short; the first, third, fourth and fifth equal and the longest; tail short and square; tarsi moderate; toes rather short, adapted for clinging; the hinder and the middle toes equal in length.

The members of this genus are the smallest birds of the Australian fauna. I have described two species, one inhabiting New South Wales and the other Port Essington; and had I characterized the bird of this form inhabiting Western Australia as distinct, I should most likely not have been in error, as it is probable that when the subject has been more fully investigated it will prove to be so.

Family SYLVIADÆ, Vig.

Subfamily SAXICOLINÆ, Bonap.

Genus Erythrodryas, Gould.

Generic characters.

As in Petroïca, but with the bill shorter and more flattened at the base, where it is beset with a number of fine hairs which curve forward and overhang the nostrils; wings shorter and more rounded; first and second primaries much shorter than the rest; the fifth the longest; tarsi shorter; toes more lengthened; lateral toes nearly even; claws much sharper and more curved.

The members of the genus Erythrodryas are much more delicate in structure than the Petroïcæ, have their feeble bill strongly beset with bristles, and are more arboreal in their habits; their usual places of resort being the innermost recesses of the forest, where, in a state of quiet seclusion, they flit about in search of insects; the true Petroïcæ, on the other hand, frequent open plains, are more bold and vigorous, and possess a structure which adapts them for the ground over which they pass like the Saxicolæ.

The two species of this genus, all that are at present known, are confined to the south-eastern portions of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land.

Genus Petroïca, Swains.

The birds I have retained in this genus might with propriety be divided by separating the pied Robins from the red-breasted species. The dusky Robin of Van Diemen’s Land and the white eyebrowed Robin of the north-east coast of Australia would also constitute another group of equal value with Erythrodryas, Drymodes and Eöpsaltria.

The red-breasted Petroïcæ are confined to the south-eastern portions of Australia, Van Diemen’s Land and Norfolk Island; but I believe that the range of the pied birds extends to New Guinea.

Each of the sections I have indicated present some difference in their nidification and in the colouring of their eggs, which tends to confirm the propriety of the view I have taken of the subject.

• Muscicapa erythrogaster, var. Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. vi. p. 217.

• Muscicapa vittata, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, pl. 3, fig. 2?

Genus Drymodes, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill straight, rather compressed on the sides near the tip, nearly as long as the head; a slight notch at the tip; beset at the base with a few fine bristles; wings moderately long, rounded, the first quill very short, the fifth the longest; tail rather long, slightly rounded; tarsi long, slender, entire before; toes moderately long, the outer toe rather longer than the inner; the hind-toe and nail shorter than the middle toe and nail.

The only species of this genus yet discovered ranges over the whole of the country from Southern to Western Australia. Its form is adapted for the ground, but it occasionally resorts to low shrubby trees.

Genus Eöpsaltria, Swains.

Three species of this genus are all that are yet known; two of these are natives of Western Australia, and the third of New South Wales.

• Sylvia flavigastra, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. vii. p. 137?

• Muscicapa Georgiana, Quoy. et Gaim. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, pl. 3, fig. 4?

• Muscicapa gularis, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, pl. 4, fig. 1?

Subfamily MENURINÆ, G. R. Gray.

Genus Menura, Dav.

It might have been expected that the various explorations which have of late years been made into the previously unknown regions of Australia would have led to the discovery of some additional species of this genus, or of some new form more nearly allied to it than those with which it is associated, but nothing of the kind has occurred.

This remarkable bird is not only confined to Australia, but exclusively to the south-eastern part of the country. I regret to say that I have not been able to gain any further information respecting its nidification, although I have urged many persons in Australia to pay particular attention to the subject.

Among the many novelties comprised in the present work is a second species of this form, of which only one was previously known.

• Corvus auritus, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. iii. p. 42.

Inhabits the south-eastern parts of Australia.

This new species is a native of the western coast.

Genus Sphenostoma, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill very short, compressed laterally, wedge-shaped, upper mandible without a notch at the tip, two or three fine hairs at the base; tomia straight; nostrils basal, round, open; wings very short and round, the fourth, fifth and sixth primaries nearly equal and the longest; tail long and graduated; tarsi moderately long and strong, shielded before with several plates, entire behind; toes short, hind-toe strong, lateral toes unequal, the inner one the shortest.

The only known species of this genus frequents the sterile parts of the interior of Australia generally, particularly those portions of the country clothed with low shrubs and bushes.

Genus Malurus, Vieill.

The members of this genus are among the most beautiful of the Australian birds; in no group, in fact, with the exception of the Trochilidæ or Humming-birds, is the splendour of their plumage excelled. Their gay attire is, however, only assumed during the pairing season, and is retained for a very short period, after which the sexes are alike in colouring.

The genus is strictly an Australian one, and with one or two exceptions, all the species are confined to the southern parts of the continent and Van Diemen’s Land.

Genus Amytis, Less.

A form nearly allied to Malurus, strictly Australian, and of which three species are known, inhabiting the southern half of the country and not occurring in Van Diemen’s Land.

Genus Stipiturus, Less.

A form confined to Australia. Although some slight variation occurs in the specimens from Van Diemen’s Land, Southern and Western Australia, I believe that they are all referable to one and the same species, viz.—

Genus Dasyornis, Vig. & Horsf.

A group of birds adapted for situations covered with an almost impenetrable vegetation, reed-beds, &c. The two species figured are all that are at present known; of these one is from the eastern and the other from the western parts of Australia.

Prior to my visit to Australia, I described a bird in the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society,’ Part V. p. 150, as D.? brunneus, but as I have not since met with the bird in any collection from Australia I presume it is not a native of that country.

Genus Atrichia, Gould.

Rictus totally devoid of bristles; bill as long as the head, compressed laterally; the upper mandible distinctly notched at the tip; gonys ascending from the rictus and then following the line of the bill; culmen ascending high in front; nostrils moderately large, covered with an operculum, and placed in a groove near the base of the bill; wings short, round, concave, the first three primaries graduated, the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh equal; tail lengthened, rounded, the stems rigid, the webs loose and decomposed; tarsi and feet robust, the hind-toe armed with a strong nail; outer and inner toes equal in length.

The only species of this genus yet discovered is as singular in its structure as it is shy and retiring in its habits; the total absence of vibrissæ in a bird apparently closely allied to Dasyornis, in which they are so much developed, renders it one of the anomalies of the Australian fauna.

Subfamily ——?

Genus Sphenœacus, Strickl.

A group of reed- and grass-frequenting birds, which are found not only in every part of Australia, but also in the Indian Islands and India.

Of this European and Indian form two species inhabit Australia, where they frequent the reed-beds and the dense herbage of marshy situations.

Subfamily ——?

Genus Hylacola, Gould.

Bill shorter than the head, compressed; equally broad and high at the base; culmen gradually declining from the base to the tip; slightly notched at the apex; rictus beset with a few fine hairs; nostrils basal, oblong, rather large and defended by an operculum; wings short, round and concave; first, second and third primaries graduated; the fourth, fifth and sixth equal, and the longest; tail rather long and round; tarsi moderate in size; toes rather lengthened, the lateral toes equal.

A genus comprising two species peculiar to the southern parts of the country, one of which enjoys an extensive range from South Australia to Moreton Bay; the other has, as yet, only been found in the Great Murray Scrub.

When I characterized this species in the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,’ I had only seen a single example; I have since received a second, proving the correctness of my view of its being quite distinct from the H. pyrrhopygia, a fact disputed by Mr. Strickland, who had stated it to be his opinion that my figures were referable to one and the same species, but who upon an examination of the specimens themselves acknowledged he was in error.

Subfamily ——?

Genus Cysticola, Less.

However numerous birds of this form may be in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Indian Islands, Australia outvies them all in the number of species that frequent its grassy plains. With the exception of Van Diemen’s Land, every colony is inhabited by one or more species performing there precisely similar offices to those executed by the remaining species in the other parts of the world.

Subfamily ——?

Genus Sericornis, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill strong, straight, nearly as long as the head, compressed laterally towards and notched at the tip; nostrils basal, lateral, oval, and covered by an operculum; wings moderate, rounded, the first quill very short, the fourth, fifth and sixth nearly equal and the longest; tail moderate and square; tarsi long; hind-toe and claw strong, and nearly equal to the middle toe and claw in length; outer and inner toes equal; plumage soft and silky to the touch.

A group of small birds peculiar to Australia, and confined almost exclusively to the southern portion of the country. Their habits lead them to frequent the most retired parts of the forests, damp and secluded places and scrubby gullies where the herbage is thick and dense; but some species are found on the flat islands near the coast, covered with Salsolæ and other shrub-like trees; they usually frequent the ground, over which they pass with celerity, and when their haunts are intruded upon conceal themselves under the fallen or elided herbage. Their flight is peculiar and never protracted, and they all build domed nests like that of the common Wren (Troglodytes Europæus).

• Muscicapa barbata, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. vi. p. 215?

Subfamily ——?

Genus Acanthiza, Vig. & Horsf.

With the exception of the north coast, the Acanthizæ are dispersed over all the wooded districts of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land; some species frequenting the brushes, while others tenant the shrubs and belts of trees on the plains; others again are only found in such districts as the belts of the Murray.

Like some other large groups at present included under one generic title, the Acanthizæ might be divided with propriety; thus the A. pusilla, A. Diemenensis, &c., which are feeble in structure and strictly arboreal, might form one section; while the A. chrysorrhœa, A. Reguloïdes, &c., which resort to the ground, might form another. The nests of all the species that I have seen are of a domed form like that of the European Wren.

The members of this genus and the Maluri are frequently the foster-parents of the shining Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx lucidus).

Genus Ephthianura, Gould.

Bill shorter than the head, nearly straight, compressed laterally, notched at the tip, gonys incurved; nostrils basal, linear, and covered by a membrane; wings long, first quill spurious, second very long, third and fourth equal and longest; tertials very long; tail short and truncate; tarsi entire, moderately long, slight; toes slender, the hinder toe and claw shorter than the middle one, the inner toe rather shorter than the outer.

Three species of this form are all that are at present known, and of these two are figured for the first time in the present work. They all inhabit the southern part of Australia, where they frequent the open districts studded with bushes and low trees; the E. albifrons is occasionally found on the open plains.

Genus Xerophila, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill short, semiconical, robust at the base, without any notch at the tip; and provided with a few hairs at the base of the upper mandible; nostrils round and covered by minute feathers; wings moderate in size; first primary short, the third and fourth the longest; tertiaries broad and somewhat elongated; tail moderate, square and slightly concave; tarsi robust; hind-toe strong, anterior toes feeble, the exterior longer than the inner one.

A curious form, of which only one species is known, and the situation of which in the natural system is quite undetermined. It has many of the actions and manners of the Acanthizæ, but its robust and gibbose bill precludes its being placed with that group. It is mainly terrestrial in its habits and builds a domed nest.

Genus Pyrrholæmus, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill shorter than the head, slightly compressed at the sides, with a very minute notch at the tip, and beset with a few hairs at the base; nostrils linear and covered with an operculum; wings short, round, first primary rather short, the third the longest; tail short, round and concave, tarsi moderate; external toe longer than the inner one.

Another anomalous form, the structure of which does not approximate very nearly to that of any other genus, but is perhaps most nearly allied to Acanthiza. The only species known frequents scrubby places and thick underwood; is much on the ground, but occasionally mounts on a twig to sing.

Genus Origma, Gould.

Bill nearly as long as the head, incurved, carinated, indented near the tip; nostrils oval, lateral, basal, and covered by an operculum; wings moderate, rounded, first quill short, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh nearly equal and longest; tail moderate and slightly rounded; tarsi moderate; toes rather short, the outer toe much longer than the inner; plumage dense.

We are here again presented with another form, the structure, habits, and manners of which are all equally singular. The only species yet discovered inhabits New South Wales, where it frequents stony gullies and rocky situations in the neighbourhood of caverns, to the roofs of which it attaches its pendent nest, as shown in the Plate.

Genus Calamanthus, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill shorter than the head, dilated at the base, compressed laterally towards the tip; culmen sharp and advancing upon the forehead; nostrils lateral, large, oval, and covered by an operculum; rictus destitute of bristles; wings short, round, the fourth quill the longest, the third, fifth, sixth and seventh equal; tail rather short and round; tarsi moderately long, defended anteriorly with indistinct scales; hind-toe rather long, with a long claw; lateral toes uneven, the outer one the shortest.

This group comprises two species, one inhabiting Van Diemen’s Land, the other Southern and Western Australia; they are terrestrial in their habits, but occasionally perch on the smaller branches of the trees.

Genus Chthonicola, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill short, gradually descending from the base; the upper mandible slightly notched at the tip, compressed laterally; tomia curving inwards; wings concave; the first primary very short, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth nearly equal and the longest; tail slightly concave, and all the feathers of an equal length; tarsi moderately long; toes short, the hinder toe somewhat longer than the middle one; front claws more curved than in the genus Anthus.

The single species known of this genus combines in a remarkable manner the outward appearance, habits and manners of the Acanthizæ and Anthi, but is, I believe, more nearly allied to the former than to the latter.

• Sylvia sagittata, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. vii. p. 136?

Rather widely dispersed over the grassy flats of New South Wales, and constructs a domed nest in a depression of the ground like the true Sylviæ.

Subfamily MOTACILLINÆ, Bonap.

Genus Anthus, Bechst.

Whether this Old World form is represented in Australia by more than a single species, is a point I have not satisfactorily determined; every part of its extra-tropical regions, including Van Diemen’s Land, is inhabited by Pipits which differ somewhat in size in almost every colony; still their difference is so slight that I have hitherto regarded them as mere varieties or local races.

Subfamily ——?

Genus Cincloramphus, Gould.

Bill rather shorter than the head; culmen slightly arched; the tip distinctly notched; the commissure slightly angulated at the base, and somewhat incurved for the remainder of its length; nostrils lateral, oval; wings moderate, rigid, first quill very long and nearly equal to the second and third, which are the longest; tertials nearly as long as the primaries; tail rather small and cuneiform; tarsi very strong and scutellated anteriorly; toes long and powerful, particularly the hinder one and claw, which is articulated on the same plane with the inner toe; lateral toes nearly equal.

The members of this genus, which are three in number, are closely allied to the Indian genus Megalurus, and present even a greater disparity in the size of the sexes; they are all confined to Australia, where they frequent the grassy plains and open districts. The song of the males is more animated than that of any other bird inhabiting the country.

Subfamily ALAUDINÆ, Bonap.

Genus Mirafra, Horsf.

One, if not two, species of this well-defined genus inhabit Australia. At present one only has been characterized; but the bird of this form, frequenting the intertropical portions of the country, may prove to be a distinct species.

Family FRINGILLIDÆ, Vig.

The Finches of Australia comprise twenty well-marked species, referable to several genera or subgenera, each of which exhibit a slight difference in structure, accompanied, as is always the case, by a difference in habit, and in the districts inhabited; thus the true Estreldæ frequent grassy patches in the glades of the forests, the open parts of gullies, &c.; the Amadinæ, the stony hills and flats; the Poëphilæ, the grass beds of the open plains; and the Donacolæ, the grasses of the marshy districts and reed-beds: of the habits of Emblema nothing is known; its pointed bill indicates some peculiarity in its economy differing from those of the other genera.

All the species build, I believe, large grassy nests with a spout-like opening.

The whole of those figured are peculiar to Australia.

Genus Estrelda, Swains.

• Loxia nitida, Lath. Gen. Hist. vol. v. p. 268?

Genus Amadina, Swains.

Genus Poëphila, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill considerably swollen at the base, rendering it nearly as deep and broad as it is long; wings moderately long, the first quill rudimentary, the four next equal in length; feet plantigrade, toes slender; the middle toe much longer than the lateral ones, which are equal in length; hind-toe much shorter than the middle one; tail strictly cuneiform, the two middle feathers much produced.

Genus Donacola, Gould.

Generic characters.

As in the genus Amadina, but with the bill much more developed and gibbose at the base, with the culmen elevated and the lower mandible retiring backward on the face; wings shorter and rounder; feet more adapted for clinging, and remarkable for the greater development of the hind-toe and nail; tail-feathers rigid.

Genus Emblema, Gould.

Generic characters.

Bill nearly as long as the head, conical, and much resembling that of the genus Ploceus; wings moderately long as compared with the body; first quill rudimentary, the four next equal in length; tertiaries much lengthened; tail moderately long and nearly square, or slightly rounded; feet plantigrade; toes extremely slender, the middle toe much longer than the lateral ones, which are equal in length.

The single example of this beautiful bird, which was procured and presented to me by B. Bynoe, Esq., is I believe all that has ever been seen; I regret to say it no longer graces my collection, having been stolen therefrom, together with some other valuable birds, in the year 1846.

Family MERULIDÆ, Vig.

Genus Pitta, Vieill.

The members of this genus extend from tropical India throughout the islands of the Indian Archipelago to Australia; one or two species also occur in Africa. Of the three inhabiting Australia the Pitta Iris is figured for the first time in the present work, and is one of the very finest species of this lovely group of birds.

Since my account of this species was printed I have received its eggs, accompanied by the following notes from Mr. Strange of Sydney:—

“I never saw any bird whose actions are more graceful than those of the Pitta strepitans, when seen in its native brushes, where its presence is indicated by its singular call, resembling the words ‘want a watch,’ by imitating which you can call it close to the muzzle of your gun; no sooner, however, does it commence breeding than it becomes shy and retiring, keeping out of sight in the most artful manner, moving about from place to place, and occasionally uttering its cry until it has drawn you away from the nest. The nests I have seen were placed in the spur of a fig-tree near the ground, outwardly constructed of sticks and lined with moss, leaves and fine pieces of bark; the eggs are four in number,” of a pale creamy-white marked all over with irregularly-shaped blotches of brown and deep vinous grey, the latter appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell; they are one inch and a quarter in length by seven-eighths of an inch in breadth.

I regret to say that up to the present time I have not been able to obtain any information respecting this species, the specimen of which, in the Linnean Society’s Collection, is the only evidence we have of its occurring in Australia; I believe New Guinea to be its true habitat.

Genus Cinclosoma, Vig. & Horsf.

Among the novelties comprised in the present work, there are none more important than the additional members of this genus; three well-defined species being described and figured, of which only one was previously known. The form is peculiar to Australia, and is, I believe, closely allied to my genus Ianthocincla, a group of birds confined to India.

When my drawing of this species was made, I had only seen the male; since then Captain Sturt has presented me with a female, which differs from the opposite sex in the absence of the black markings of the throat, breast and wings, which parts are brownish grey.

Genus Oreocincla, Gould.

Bill as long, or longer than the head, slightly incurved, compressed laterally; the tip of the upper mandible overhanging the under; notch considerably removed from the tip; tomia or cutting edges sharp; nostrils basal, oval; rictus beset with a few short hairs; wings moderately long and rigid, first quill very short, the fourth and fifth nearly equal, and the longest; tail rather short and square, the feathers rigid, and running to a point exteriorly; tarsi moderate, scales entire; toes slender, particularly the hinder one; outer toes nearly equal, but the inner one rather the shortest; general plumage silky to the touch; the rump-feathers spinous, as in Ceblepyris and Graucalus.

Species of this genus inhabit India, the Indian Islands and Australia, in which latter country, although much difference in size is observable in specimens from different localities, I believe only one exists. It is decidedly a brush bird, and has many habits in common with the typical Thrushes, but is more shy and retiring.